C.I.A. Services:
owner and resident portal
for 50,000+ properties
How Brocoders helped build MyRedDog, the homeowner and resident app on C.I.A. Services’ own RedDog system.
Industry
Proptech, HOA management
Location
Houston and San Antonio, Texas, USA
Client since
2022
Status
2022 to 2025, delivered
50,000+
properties under management
150
associations, 1 app
4
access levels
2
live data sources
MyRedDog is the owner and resident portal, with online payments and maintenance requests, that Brocoders built for C.I.A. Services and every association it manages in Houston and San Antonio. We built it as a progressive web application on RedDog NextGen, the property management system C.I.A. Services developed in-house, to deliver new experiences for owners and residents. Owners pay online, ask for a payment plan, report maintenance items, and follow their violations and home improvement applications, while board members get reports and board-only documents.
Our client: C.I.A. Services
C.I.A. Services is a full-service company for homeowners associations based in Texas, USA. It has around 150 clients and successfully manages more than 50,000 properties in the Houston and San Antonio areas.
Since 1984, C.I.A. Services has been providing community association management services. As the company moved towards digital operations, a major issue emerged. Property owners were unable to access information from its property management system without assistance from employees, adding to the workload of the company’s staff.
To solve this problem, C.I.A. Services decided to create an app that allows homeowners and community residents to interact with their property owners association. The company partnered with Brocoders to build it in July 2022.
C.I.A. Services and MyRedDog at a glance
Client
C.I.A. Services, Inc., community association management since 1984, Houston and San Antonio, Texas
Portfolio
Around 150 associations, more than 50,000 properties
Product
MyRedDog, a portal for owners, multi-lot owners, board members, and C.I.A. Services staff
Product type
Progressive web app on an existing homeowners association (HOA) management system
System of record
RedDog NextGen, C.I.A. Services’ own management system: a desktop app for staff, C# services, SQL database on Azure, launched August 2021
Second data source
The C.I.A. Services website, on Linux with MySQL
Engagement
July 2022 to June 2025, delivered. Built July to December 2022
Payments
Make a Payment opens the association’s online payment service with the payment screen prefilled
Stack
React, Material UI, Microsoft Azure, and Azure Pipelines
Team
Front-end engineers (2), a UI/UX designer, a QA engineer, a project manager, and a DevOps engineer
Services
Custom product development on a system Brocoders did not write, the same first step as a project takeover or an application modernization
Why C.I.A. Services wanted an owner app for RedDog
When C.I.A. Services turned to Brocoders, they already had their own software to manage property owners associations: RedDog NextGen. Co-founder Ralph Troiano created RedDog, and in August 2021 he led the launch of RedDog NextGen, a full rewrite. But this system was only available to the company’s employees.
Each time a property owner needed an invoice or payment plan, they had to wait for an employee to manually deliver it by mail, email, or fax. C.I.A. Services had planned an owner app while it built RedDog NextGen.
Another problem was that most owners could receive their property information only via mail, which resulted in significant additional costs for the company. That’s why, with the owner app, C.I.A. Services also aimed to help homeowners move their property-related operations online, while reducing the company’s expenses on mail correspondence.
The lack of expertise to build a consumer-facing application
In 2021, C.I.A. Services partnered with a third-party developer to extend their existing system through an API. With this integration, C.I.A. Services could offer a better user experience for both employees and homeowners by pulling data from the backend via API. However, the developer company that C.I.A. Services collaborated with didn’t have the expertise needed to build a consumer-facing app, so co-founder Ralph Troiano reached out to Brocoders for help.
He came with C.I.A. Services’ own 25-page spec for the app, written in June 2022, with wireframes for its screens.
Why the C.I.A. Services owner app is a progressive web app
The client approached us with an idea to build a hybrid web application that looks and operates like a mobile app, with a close-to-native experience. C.I.A. Services’ spec ruled out native iOS and Android apps, which owners would have to download and keep updated.
Our team fully supported this idea and proposed a progressive web app (PWA), since developing a PWA was a perfect solution to implement the required functionality while satisfying the client’s requirements. It is fast and secure. Users can launch a progressive web app on any device without having to download it from an app store.
Before signing, C.I.A. Services asked whether React Native, which builds iOS and Android apps from 1 codebase, could also produce the web app. It also asked whether an owner who is not technical would get the app icon on the home screen. A screenshot of an existing PWA’s Add to Home Screen flow answered that question.
The PWA had a known limit in 2022: iOS showed no notification badges for web apps, and C.I.A. Services accepted it. The general trade-offs are in our guide to PWA vs native apps.
Building MyRedDog: a secure, efficient progressive web app for C.I.A. Services
To bring new experiences to property owners and residents, and ease the workload on employees, Brocoders developed MyRedDog, an app with an easy-to-use design available on desktop and mobile devices. To implement features following the app specifications, we needed API data, so we worked closely with our client’s backend developer. We also built separate views for user roles with different access rights to protect confidential information.
The MyRedDog design, the UI kit, and the React progressive web app, with every owner, board, and staff screen. The calls that read data from RedDog’s API and the website and send owner requests. A review of the API during the build that listed what the app still needed, plus Azure staging, deployment pipelines, and QA.
Kept by C.I.A. Services
RedDog NextGen and its database, the RedDog API, and the website endpoints, written and extended by C.I.A. Services and its backend developer. The owner records, the role each user holds, and the rules on what each role may see. Board access, which C.I.A. Services staff grant in RedDog.
Appealing and easy-to-use UI/UX design
To build a customer-facing app, our team started the project by working on the app’s interface. We worked from the wireframes in C.I.A. Services’ spec, which showed what each screen does, and from its brand kit: logos, colors, fonts, and the MyRedDog graphics.
We created a UI kit and designs, showed them to the client, and performed user testing with the client’s representative. Based on the user’s feedback, we made decisions regarding what changes should be made to meet the client’s requirements, and iteratively agreed on the final version.
To make it easier to access community information and property data, Brocoders created a modern and appealing interface, easy to use and navigate. For instance, when logging in to their account, a property owner or resident can register for a community event like a garage sale and vote for candidates to the board of directors. They can also read current community news and view planned events in the calendar.
The app also gives users access to community information like facilities and services, plus property data including financial information, compliance issues, and improvement applications. As the spec laid out, the My Property screen opens on a summary and leads to detail screens, so each screen loads a small amount of data.
API evaluation and improvements
When the design was approved, we proceeded to the next stage. Since we were building a PWA that reads live data from 2 sources, RedDog NextGen and the C.I.A. Services website, we had to make sure that their API endpoints supported our requirements. C.I.A. Services documented both APIs screen by screen, and we mapped every endpoint to the screen that uses it.
From RedDog NextGen, the app reads the account, community news, the calendar, invoices, account activity, and payment plans. It also reads violations and their letters, home improvement applications, notices, association and board documents, board reports, and the management team. From the website, it reads news articles and newsletters, event registrations and board elections, public documents, community information, and the catalog of access devices.
We detected issues with API endpoints that made it impossible to build specific functionality on our part. For instance, news articles on the website didn’t have individual identifiers that would let us filter them and show a homeowner only news pieces related to his or her association. That’s why we contacted the developer and asked to make some improvements to the API.
Varying access rights to secure sensitive information
To protect users’ information and reduce security risks, we built the app’s screens for 4 user roles with varying access rights. Owners have access to their account information, while multi-lot owners can view data from all their accounts and switch between properties. Apart from access rights as an owner, board members can access some confidential information for their community and employees can view all information for all client communities.
Owners register themselves with their community code, account number, and PIN from RedDog, then set a login email and a password.
Employees open the app as any owner with Look Like an Account and see what that owner sees.
C.I.A. Services designed its API to return only the violation records meant for owners, so staff comments stay in RedDog.
Deploying the app on Microsoft Azure
Since the client’s system runs on Microsoft Azure, we had to deploy the app on that platform. First, we created a staging environment on Azure to ensure the software satisfied project requirements and worked as expected. Then we set up deployment through Azure Pipelines, worked closely with the third-party developer to resolve issues on Microsoft Azure, and released the application.
What owners, boards, and staff do in MyRedDog
C.I.A. Services announced MyRedDog to owners in October 2023 as a web app for homeowners and board members on any device.
Balance, open invoices, account activity, and payment plans. Deed restriction violations with their letters, and home improvement applications with their status in real time. Letters, notices, and meeting notifications C.I.A. Services has sent the owner.
Make a Payment tells the owner they are going to the bank’s secure payment site, then opens it with the payment screen prefilled. Owners also request a payment plan, order access devices, and report maintenance items. The requests go to C.I.A. Services staff.
Community news, the events calendar, event registration, and board elections. Facilities and services, office locations and hours, and the management team’s contacts.
Public documents, community documents, and newsletters. Architectural guidelines, policies, rules, maps, and forms.
A board portal with real-time financial information and current reports that RedDog generates as PDFs, such as accounts receivable, architectural requests, and deed restriction violations. Board-only documents such as budgets, contracts, and tax returns. For C.I.A. Services staff, Look Like an Account.
From spec to launch: how Brocoders built MyRedDog
The team ran 1-week sprints, with planning on Fridays and a demo every Thursday, and a weekly status report tracked what each side had open.
July 2022
Spec review: 15 questions, answered within days
July to August 2022
UI kit and designs, tested with C.I.A. Services’ representative
July to October 2022
API documentation from C.I.A. Services, 3 versions, each endpoint mapped to a screen
August to September 2022
API review: endpoints and fields the app still needed
By December 2022
Front end on production data, staged on Azure
October 2023
C.I.A. Services announces MyRedDog to owners
The MyRedDog team at Brocoders
Front-end
engineers
UI/UX designer,
design phase
QA engineer,
part-time
Project manager,
part-time
DevOps engineer,
on demand
Results for C.I.A. Services: better experiences for users, higher efficiency for company employees
By helping C.I.A. Services create a convenient app, we improved customer service and reduced employee workload. Users can access information without involving employees.
What C.I.A. Services has from the app today:
MyRedDog is open to owners in every association C.I.A. Services manages.
Owners can request a payment plan, order access devices, and report maintenance items in the app.
Improved customer service
Designing an appealing and convenient application, we helped C.I.A. Services improve its customer service. Owners see their balance, invoices, violations, and documents from a phone or a desktop, without waiting for mail, email, or fax.
Decreased workload for support managers
The app we developed allows users to get the information they need without involving employees or company managers. The software decreases time spent on manual tasks, such as sending emails to owners and residents or calling them by phone, and does not overburden the company’s employees.
Owners sign themselves up with details C.I.A. Services already holds in RedDog, so staff don’t create app accounts.
Cost-effective development approach
In addition to delivering new experiences to property owners and decreasing employees’ workload, Brocoders helped extend the capabilities of their system’s API. Our review listed the endpoints and fields the app needed, and C.I.A. Services’ backend developer built them.
What’s more, as we proposed to build a progressive web app (PWA), our client got an app that reaches users on every platform from 1 codebase.
“I am very excited and thankful for the accomplished work. It was great to work with a so professional and well-organized team. All tasks were delivered on time and were well-tested by QA specialists and our users.”
Built by Brocoders:React (Create React App), Material UI, Microsoft Azure hosting, and Azure Pipelines. C.I.A. Services’ systems the app connects to: RedDog NextGen (WPF, C#, a SQL database, and document storage on Azure) and the company website (Linux, MySQL, and PHP endpoints).
FAQ: building an owner and resident portal like MyRedDog
Did Brocoders replace RedDog NextGen?
No. RedDog NextGen stayed C.I.A. Services’ system of record, and its API and database stayed with C.I.A. Services and its backend developer. Brocoders built the owner app on top of it.
Extending a running system to new users without replacing it is one of the ways we approach application modernization.
Why a progressive web app and not native iOS and Android apps?
C.I.A. Services did not want to keep up 2 native apps, or ask owners to download one and install updates. A progressive web app runs in the browser on any phone or desktop and installs to the home screen, from 1 codebase. A cost of the choice in 2022 was that iOS showed no notification badges for web apps, which C.I.A. Services accepted.
How do owners get into MyRedDog?
Owners register with their community code, account number, and PIN, then set a login email and a password. The app checks those details against RedDog NextGen. C.I.A. Services staff grant board access in RedDog.
Can owners pay online in MyRedDog?
Yes. Make a Payment opens the online payment service the association uses, with the payment screen prefilled, and the payment runs there. Requests for a payment plan go to C.I.A. Services staff from the same screen area.
Was MyRedDog only a front-end project?
The code Brocoders wrote is the front end. The work also covered the design, an API review during the build that listed what the app needed, the connection to 2 data sources, and the Azure environments and pipelines.
RedDog NextGen, its API, and the website endpoints belong to C.I.A. Services and its backend developer.
How long did the build take, and with what team?
Design and the front end ran from July to December 2022. The team was 2 front-end engineers, a designer for the design phase, a part-time QA engineer, a part-time project manager, and a DevOps engineer on demand.
MyRedDog is live for owners today. Starting on a running system and an API another team wrote is the same first step as a project takeover.
Can you build a resident or tenant portal on top of our existing property management system?
Yes, if the system has an API or a database an API can be added to. For C.I.A. Services we reviewed RedDog’s API during the build and listed what the app still needed.
For your system, a software audit maps the architecture, the data, and the APIs it depends on before anyone quotes a build. For a production platform that is the Standard audit, $9,900 fixed, 10 business days. If you are still deciding whether to buy or build, our HOA management software guide compares what boards need with what vendors ship.
Who maintains MyRedDog now?
C.I.A. Services runs MyRedDog. Brocoders supported it on request until June 2025. That year our DevOps engineer walked C.I.A. Services’ backend developer through the Azure pipelines our engineer had set up in 2022.
Property management builds by Brocoders, beside MyRedDog
